The primary goal of my study is to explore students’ subjective experience of teacher response to their writing. This study is intended to deepen our understanding of students’ experience of feedback, and provide an opportunity to hear student voices adding to the conversation about what they have found to be most useful in terms of improving their writing. This is a qualitative study, relying primarily on individual interviews and questionnaires to elicit participants’ understanding of teacher feedback and response to student writing. An initial questionnaire about student response to teacher feedback was distributed to 73 students. The results of the questionnaire yielded significant information in terms of how students read teacher feedback, and how they interpret this feedback. I analyzed these 73 initial questionnaires for themes, and then chose 10 students for further in-depth interviews, looking at their writing and their response to/and interpretation of teacher comments. In these interviews the students brought in mid-process and final papers with written teacher comments, and then interpreted these comments. I analyzed themes in these interviews, and looked at whether and how teacher comments affected students’ final drafts. The in-depth interview findings indicated that a surprising number of students do not read the feedback thoroughly or seriously, and of those who do, many misinterpret that feedback, and very few students think of feedback as an exchange or dialogue between a teacher and student. At the end of the study all of the students met together in a focus group to reflect on their experience, to ask questions, and to add their voices to the conversation. Some of the implications of this study suggest that we need to spend more time in class educating students about feedback and response, and that we need to rethink, modify, and experiment with the ways we respond, especially in terms of creating dialogic response. I also suggest areas for further research.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to explore how adolescent girls perceive and feel about their bodies while they engage in physical education and how they navigate ways to feel comfortable within their own bodies and the physical education environment and (b) to engage in student-centered exploratory projects. Participants were seven ninth and tenth grade girls. Data were collected from focus group and individual interviews, critical incidents forms, journals, and descriptive field notes from observations. Data were analyzed using content analysis and open, axial, and selective coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Results indicated that four primary factors positively and negatively influenced their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in physical education (a) gender issues in coeducation classes, (b) activities offered, (c) 'people' in the class, and (d) public display in physical education. First, the complexity of gender issues in coeducation classes such as; male dominance, gender segregation, and gender stereotypes, influenced their comfort and type of participation in physical education. Second, prior experience and design of the activity enhanced or exacerbated their perceived competence and opportunity for success. Third, friends and other classmates affected whether they socialized and felt comfortable in physical education class. Finally, the public nature of physical education caused participants to fear being embarrassed and exposed their bodies, which allowed them to compare their bodies and skill ability to other girls in class. Collectively, participants' comfort embodied these factors that affected their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in physical education. Participants' comfort influenced whether they did not participate, participated (i.e., blending in), or actually participated. Participants purposely created strategies to thrive or survive in physical education based on their comfort. Furthermore, participants created informational products as a result of their exploratory projects, which were dispersed among faculty and students. Results suggest that adolescent girls are willing to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences when they are provided a comfortable and safe space where they can engage in discourse among their peers. Adolescent girls have a deeper understanding of how they think and feel within their bodies and their stories need to be told and heard.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004) now includes language that permits local education agencies to use a process that determines if a child responds to scientific, research based interventions as part of their evaluation procedures. This reauthorization of IDEA 2004 has led to an increase demand for rigorous research on the outcomes of various models of response to intervention (RTI). Many of the components of RTI have a thorough base of empirical support. However, little empirical work has gone into understanding the standardization of service delivery and implementation of RTI in schools. There are two purposes to this study. First, this evaluation aims to provide formative evaluation data which will aid in the improvement of the processes and functions associated with the Clark County (Las Vegas) RTI Model in their critical role of supporting student achievement. Additionally, observations are then placed into a broader context in how they might contribute to the research base regarding implementation and service delivery standardization. Program evaluation data were collected from ten designated RTI schools in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV that included structured interviews, surveys, direct observation of meetings, and a review of student intervention cases. Overall, results indicated evidence of an effective use of assessment and intervention tools across schools in a prevention oriented model. Unique examples of intervention service delivery models are discussed along with future directions for research.

While there is preliminary evidence supporting the use of collaborative problem solving teams in schools (e.g., Telzrow, McNamara, & Hollinger, 2000) only a few outcome measures have been explored in relation to these procedures, and the results have been inconsistently demonstrated across projects (Burns & Symington, 2002). Additionally, it has been found that many school teams are inconsistent in their implementation of quality consultation procedures (e.g., Doll et al., 2005). Unfortunately the positive outcomes that have been associated with collaborative problem solving teams cannot be implied in practice until there is evidence that these procedures can be incorporated into real life situations (Telzrow et al., 2000). This research utilized an explanatory case study design to investigate the factors that contribute to quality team consultation procedures in applied settings. The analysis of the permanent products of cases seen by three Instructional Support Teams (IST) during the 2006-2007 school year, revealed that on average IST’s were able to implement five out of seven problem solving steps with fidelity. There was little evidence to confirm that teams provided detailed information on interventions that were implemented, or that treatment integrity data were collected regularly. Higher rates of implementation were found to be weakly associated with both greater goal attainment (r=.203, p=.044) and fewer referrals to special education (r=.230, p=.025). A comparison of mean implementation rates between academic and behavioral problems also indicated that teams implemented the process with greater fidelity when working on academic concerns (t (97) =3.387, p=.001). Focus group discussions revealed that team members and teaching staff considered the IST process to be more effective in addressing academic rather than behavioral problems. IST members identified the following factors as contributing to the success of their teams: administrative support, intervention support provided by specialists and Title 1 staff, participation of experts on teams, and teachers’ attitudes. Teachers and IST members identified time and scheduling to be the most significant barrier associated with the IST process. The supports and barriers to the IST process were interpreted in the context of the studies limitations, and presented with implications for practice and future research.

This qualitative research study examines the holistic experience of secondary classroom teachers who are changing their predominant instructional technique from a mostly traditional teaching method to a student-centered, problem-based approach to curriculum delivery. Using field notes, interviews, focus groups, observations of classrooms and faculty meetings and related document study in conjunction with, and as driven by, simultaneous analysis, the researcher inquired about the nature of implementing change in instructional delivery and those influences that both help and hinder the process. Data revealed four categories with related findings: practices of changing instructional delivery, a teacher focus on students, elements of working within a culture of change, and the personal experience of implementing a change in instructional delivery.

No description available.

This study examined learning environments in middle school mathematics classes through the perspectives of high and low achieving students. The goal of the study was to determine which classroom learning environment factors are experienced differently by high achievers than they are by lower achieving students. The "What is Happening in Class" questionnaire and results of a standards-based mathematics assessment were used to identify participants with high mathematics achievement and relatively favorable perceptions of their classroom learning environment and students with low mathematics achievement and relatively unfavorable perceptions of their mathematics classroom learning environment. Participants were interviewed in focus groups and selected participants were also interviewed individually. Results revealed that four aspects of the mathematics classroom learning may impact achievement because they can be experienced differently by students who are high and low achievers. These aspects of the learning environment are teacher support, equity, student cohesiveness and task orientation. Teacher support was linked to perceived affiliation with the teacher. Both low and high achievers indicated that teachers seem to be more affiliated with students who are high achievers that answer questions correctly and with students who comply with classroom rules. The equity issues identified by students were related to the amount and type of support that learners get to meet their learning needs. Lower achieving students perceived that it was harder for them to get attention and support for learning needs than did higher achieving students because they perceive that much of classroom attention is directed at praising students for what they already know how to do rather than for new learning. Students described strong preferences for working in self-selected groups. High achieving students were more likely to be able to name and describe classroom processes, tasks, and expectations than were lower achieving students. This study affirms the need for teachers of middle school mathematics to be attentive to pedagogical choices, classroom norms, and the nature of classroom opportunities. The study identifies status issues that arise from certain types of mathematics pedagogy and calls for transparency in classroom norms and strategic grouping practices to improve learning opportunities for lower achieving students.

This dissertation studies the impact of two courses, “Rise Up” and “Leadership in Community Service,” at a Level Four high school in Massachusetts. The school, which had a higher than average level of student dropout, implemented the two courses developed by the researcher to address student retention, academic performance, and connection to school. Students in grades 9–12 took one or both of the semester-long classes, which used community building activities, group discussions, democratic teaching principals, community service-learning, and goal setting to address the needs of marginalized students. Students who participated in the classes showed increased connections to peers, teachers and community members, an improvement in indicators for school retention including grades, behavior, and attendance, and also an increase in their perceptions about their ability to persist in challenging situations.

The problem this study addresses is the gap between tracking—grouping students by ability, a practice that stems, in part, from a prevailing meritocratic ideology—and inclusive education—grouping students heterogeneously, a practice that the central government has adopted as official policy. The goals of this study are to (1) discover attitudes, strategies, tactics, and other behavior (embraced or engaged in by school principals, teachers, and other actors) that support and inhibit the government's policy of dismantling the tracking structure, and (2) to explore their causes and consequences. The literature review begins with a discussion of how meritocracy and a tracking system were successfully institutionalized in China and why they are in trouble today, mainly from the perspective of ideological change in China. The second section of this review summarizes the effects of tracking system on students' academic achievement and personal and social development, and explores the complex interaction between tracking, meritocracy, and social inequality. The last section discusses existing policy implementation theories, especially the institutional perspective. Based on the policy processes in China, this dissertation proposes an analytical framework for a centralized system. The primary data collection method is interviewing, supported by reviewing documents and observing. Data analysis is guided by procedures that have been developed to create "grounded theory." The data analysis is divided into five main sections. The first section describes the policy settings, including the state context, an overview of basic education in Beijing, the general school context, policy mandates, and theory of action. The second section presents a panorama of the teachers' reflections on the implementation process of the detracking policy. The third section draws on data from principal interviews, observation, and reflection logs to present coherent implementation stories for the four schools. The fourth section constructs categories of cross-case analysis and reports on dimensions of attitudes and beliefs, instructional and pedagogical practices for implementing inclusive education programs. The final section provides a summary that reflects upon my research questions and general interpretations of the interviewees' responses. Using causal links among the existing categories, the dissertation study discusses different implementation instruments and outcomes—specifically, pathfinding, selective compliance, skeptical and reluctant compliance, and resisting. In conclusion, this study provides recommendations for the improvement of policy process from the political, cultural and technical perspectives.

How do oral deaf high school students experience Least Restrictive Environment policies as they participate in mainstream classes with hearing teachers and peers? This study focused on three oral deaf students who did not use sign language. In classes that privileged uses of spoken language, the focal participants communicated with their hearing teachers and peers by speaking, speechreading, and listening with their aided residual hearing. Ethnographic data were collected during semester-long participant observations of two math and two English classes. Data collection methods included audiotaping and videotaping classes, informal interviews, and Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR). During IPR meetings, the researcher and the focal participants analyzed "rich points"—moments when "normal" discourse practices were interrupted, allowing hidden tensions to surface. These rich points were identified by the focal participants themselves and/or by the researcher. The construction of classroom power relations was analyzed using Microethnographic Discourse Analysis (Bloome et al., 2005). This study revealed that the focal participants had learning experiences that were qualitatively different from those of their hearing peers. In particular, they faced challenges that were overlooked by their hearing teachers and peers. During class discussions, the oral deaf students' participation was restricted because they had to visually access verbal exchanges. To make sense of interactions, they had to interpret a series of incomplete signals using speechreading, aided residual hearing, and visual/written prompts. Thus, their participation in discussions was limited. However, when the oral deaf focal participants had opportunities to interact directly with their hearing peers in small group work, they demonstrated their ability to communicate and learn by using personal and contextual resources to engage in language and literacy events with their hearing peers. This study concludes that mainstream classrooms do not automatically become Least Restrictive Environments when oral deaf students are placed in classes with hearing students. Rather, the creation of Least Restrictive Environments for oral deaf students requires the active collaboration of their hearing teachers and peers. Otherwise, mainstream classrooms may become settings where oral deaf students' differences are highlighted, and the goal of mainstreaming—to respect and bridge differences in a diverse classroom—is not achieved.